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Assistant Majority Leader Rep. John Ward, DFL-Baxter, was recently re-appointed to the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council and appointed the Permanent School Fund Advisory Committee.

Explore Minnesota Tourism works with the tourism industry to increase awareness of the economic contributions of the tourism industry. The Explore Minnesota Tourism Council is focused on areas critical to the development and growth of Minnesota tourism. Program development and public policy issues at both the state and federal level are also addressed.

“Tourism impacts so many Minnesotans, especially in our area, so I’m very pleased to have been re-appointed to the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council,” said Ward. “By investing in tourism marketing, we can make Minnesota a priority destination, help our tourism industry create jobs, and generate new tax dollars. I look forward to working with my great colleagues on the council to improve tourism in our great state.”

When Minnesota became a state in 1858, the federal government granted sections 16 and 36 of every township, or their equivalent, to the state for the use of schools. The Minnesota Constitution established the Permanent School Fund (PSF) to ensure a long-term source of funds for public education in the state. The PSF consists of the accumulated revenues generated from the land. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for managing the school trust land, which currently totals about 2.5 million acres, plus an additional 1 million acres of severed mineral rights.

The Minnesota Legislature established the Permanent School Fund Advisory Committee (PSFAC) to review DNR land management policies, advise DNR on the management of trust land, and recommend necessary changes in statute, policy, and implementation in order to insure provident utilization of the permanent school fund lands.

“These lands belong to the school children of Minnesota,” Ward said. “We have every obligation to manage these lands properly and ensure that our children and their schools receive as much money from them as possible. I will continue to work and support efforts to do just that.”

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